Direction indicator for motor vehicles



Sept. 29, 1936. T 2,056,115

DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Nov. 22, 1952 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 Y UNFFED E's E'N-r Q F-FLCE DIRECTION; INDICATORS FOR: MOTOR? e VEHICLES Georg H. Traut, Sharon Mass. Application November 22, 1932, Serial No. 643,821

1 Claim. (Cl. 177-329) The present invention relates to direction innet 36 is mounted within the casing having one dicators for mot-or vehicles. pole in a position to engage the upper end of the The object of the present invention is to procore, the other pole being of diminished length vide a simple, compact, reliable direction indito lie adjacent to the solenoid, as shown in Fig. 1.

5 cator which can be readily observed from any posi- As described in my Patent No. 1,701,738, the per- 5 tion in the rear. manent magnet holds the core firmly in position With this object in view, the principal feature against shocks and jars under normal running of the invention comprises a direction indicator conditions. The solenoid is so connected that assembly in a compact casing which may be atwhen it is energized, it induces in the core a pole tached toa bracket at the side of the vehicle, of the same polarity as the upper pole of the per- 10 preferably to the door hinge. The casing may manent magnet, thereby immediately repelling be provided with a mirror surface in order that the core and causing the semaphore to rise quickly the operator may observe the approach of vehicles to indicating position. Moreover, since the core from the rear. lies across the poles of the permanent magnet, it

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a front acts as a keeper to conserve the magnetism elevation with the cover removed; Fig. 2 is a rear thereof.

elevation showing the indicator in position; Fig. Within the semaphore is a lamp 38 which is 3 is a side elevation of the improved indicator; received in a socket 40 mounted on a pivoted and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, partly in section, bracket 42. The bracket 42 forms a door for the 20 of the reversible contact assembly. lower edge of the semaphore and is pivoted on the 20 The illustrated embodiment of the invention pin 44. A torsion spring 46 normally holds the comprises a casing having a polished rear wall 4, bracket in position within the semaphores and side and end walls 6, and a front cover 8. The permits the bracket to be opened for the purpose rear and side walls are preferably stamped or cast of replacing the lamp.

in a single piece in order to avoid the use of any A single cable 48 which leads outwardly through 25 screws or other fastening means on the rear suran opening in the side of the vehicle and which face. The rear surface may be chrome-plated may include any suitable switch is used to enerand highly polished to serve as a mirror, or if gize the solenoid and the lamp. Inasmuch as the desired, a silvered mirror may be attached thereto. solenoid must be energized with proper polarity,

An arm I0 is attached to the front cover by a owing to its relation to the permanent magnet, 30 ball and socket joint l l which permits adjustment means are provided to permit a selective connecof the mirror in any desired angular position. tion, depending on which pole of the battery is The arm H] is bifurcated at I2 to form a bracket grounded. Within the casing is provided a frame to embrace the pintle M of the door hinge. The of insulating material with two spring solenoid bracket is secured to the pintle by means of two contacts 52 and 54 at opposite ends, these con- 35 countersunk screws l5 which are locked by set tacts being electrically connected to opposite ends screws I8. I of the solenoid by wires 56 and 58. Paired with The direction indicator comprises a semaphore the contacts 52 and 54 are spring lamp contacts 20 consisting of a metal frame with translucent 6D and 62 respectively which project from an inwindows 22 preferably of frosted celluloid, red in tegral plate 64 attached to the frame 50. The 4 color. The semaphore in indicating position is plate 64 connects by a wire 66 with the lamp shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in inactive posisocket 40. The cable 48 connects with a live contion in dot-and-dash lines within the casing. tact plug 58 which is mounted on a metal plate 10 The semaphore is attached to abracket 24 which but insulated therefrom by a Washer 12. As

is pivoted within the casing on a pin 26. A link shown in Fig. 4, the plug 68 has a neck extending 45 28 is pivoted both to the bracket and to an arm 30 through a sleeve-like portion 13 of the washer, which is attached to the upper end of a magnetic the neck being electrically connected with the solenoid core 32. A longitudinal movement of cable. At the other end of the plate is mounted the core produces a swinging movement of the a ground contact 14 which is cut away at one side semaphore, without the use of any pin-and-slot so that it can engage only the outer contact 52 50 or other unsatisfactory mechanical connections. or 54. The plug contacts are inserted through The core 32 is actuated by a solenoid 34 which holes in the casing wall and the plate is secured is suitably attached to the inner wall of the casing. by a screw 16. As shown, the plug contact 68 In order to hold the semaphore in inactive posiwill engage the spring contacts 52 and 60 and tion without the use of latches, a permanent magthe ground contact will engage only the solenoid 55 contact 54. Should the semaphore fail to operate because of improper polarization, the plate F0 is merely reversed, so that the contact 68 engages both contacts 54 and 62, and the ground contact engages only the solenoid contact 52. The lamp is energized on either connection through the wire 66.

Preferably two direction indicators are used, one on each side of the car, to indicate both left and right turns. The present invention is a compact device, of pleasing appearance, with provision for displaying the semaphore at a sufiicient distance outwardly from the side of the vehicle so that it can be readily observed by motorists approaching at substantially any position in the rear.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A direction signal indicator comprising a casing, a semaphore, a lamp, a solenoid having an armature, connections between the armature and semaphore to operate the semaphore, a retaining magnet of the permanent type engaging the armature to hold the semaphore in inactive position, a cable, a live contact connected thereto, a grounded contact carried by the cable and insulated therefrom, contacts connected with the ends of the solenoid and adapted for selective engagement with the cable contacts to polarize the solenoid properly with respect to the retaining magnet, a lamp, and a contact connected with the lamp and adapted to be engaged with said live contact for either position of the latter.

GEORG H. TRAUT. 

